Blast from the past, why your ex is getting in touch during lockdown ...
One of the biggest surprises I have experienced during the current lockdown was on waking one morning to find out that one of my exes had been reminiscing on our relationship. He was experiencing regret for the part he played in its ultimate demise. Until the end, I had been fully invested in him as my life partner and had desperately clung on despite all evidence that the relationship was dead in the water. I now recognise this to be a result of a traumatic childhood that left me with both abandonment issues and the belief I had to hold onto the approval of a paternal figure at all costs, to ensure my emotional well being. At the end I still hadn’t realised that, in reality, the relationship had essentially been over for around 6 months prior.
- By The Musings of a Single Female
Read more: Blast from the past, why your ex is getting in touch during lockdown.
Courting in Quarantine
Well, that was different. One early March evening I’m meeting a new date in a bar for a drink, the night going well and the conversation flowing freely. Dates two and three follow hot on its heels and another is hastily scheduled. So far, so good. And then the world changed.
Somewhere in the scramble to adapt to the ‘new normal’, as I bid a temporary farewell to staples such as shop-bought pasta and regular employment, I’m also left contemplating the new reality of dating Lockdown style. And what a Brave New World it proves.
- By Mike from London
Normal people
Couple fit: Marianne and Connell
When I first meet a couple for an initial consultation, one of the thoughts I hold in mind are ‘why did this couple choose each other’
As a couple therapist, understanding the ‘couple fit’ is an important part of the work. This is to do with the unconscious reasons couples gravitate towards each other and it explains that feeling of connection that is often felt when potential lovers ‘click’.
Recently, two of my clients told me I should watch the BBC series Normal People, so how could I resist, especially as it’s about a couple and the trajectory of their relationship.
- By Olivia Luna Relationship and Psychosexual Therapist
Relationship and Couple Therapy
Sometimes relationships may undergo periods of stress and it may feel as if they are a source of unhappiness or confusion. Relationship counselling helps couples and individuals explore problematic patterns that may be affecting their quality of life. The problem may be recurring or after an event or series of events.
We work with a wide range of couples from different cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations
Psychosexual Therapy
Psychosexual therapy is an integrative approach which combines talking therapy with behavioural therapy. It can take place on an individual basis or with a partner. It will involve an assessment of the sexual issue (including any associated medical factors) whilst exploring further how the relationship, sexual development and personal history may be affecting the sexual issue. Behavioural exercises may be discussed in the sessions, which will then be carried out at home to help the individual or couple address their sexual difficulties.
Individual Counselling
Individual counselling is a joint process between a therapist and client. Common goals of therapy may be to motivate change or improve quality of life. Therapy can help people overcome obstacles to emotional and mental well-being.
It can also increase positive feelings, such as compassion and self-esteem. People in therapy can learn healthy skills for managing difficult situations, making positive decisions, and reaching goals.